Team LiteCure
Dhara Amin, Michael Brennan, Eric DiBlasi, Andrew Smith
Background
• LiteCure: Manufacturing company for medical
devices involving advanced laser technology
for the health care and veterinary industries.
• Products: Deep tissue therapy units that use
laser technology to accelerate the body’s
natural healing process.
• Products are typically housed on a cart to
allow the device to be transported from one
patient to another in clinical settings
Motivation
LiteCure is in need of a custom cart design
that solves several problems surrounding their
current cart design.
Issues:
• Poor fiber optic and power cord
management
• Lack of accessory storage and securing of
those accessories
• Aesthetic image of the cart
• Ease of use and functionality
improvements
Current LiteCure Cart
Project Scope
To design an aesthetically pleasing utility cart for
LiteCure’s deep tissue therapy unit that coincides with
their desired image and allows users to easily access
and store all components of the unit in a clinical setting.
Deliverables For Sponsor
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•
•
•
Full Drawing Package of Final Concept
Manufacturing Details
Assembly Details
Prototype
Product Line
15 Watts
9 watts
12 watts
10 watts
Hand Piece and Fiber Optic Cord
Hand Piece
Fiber Optic Cable:
• 3 meter length
• Minimum bend radius of 3 inches
Product Accessories
Patient Glasses
“Doggles” (Veterinary Use)
Operator Glasses
UPS System
Laser Head
Attachments
Foot Pedal (10 Watt Unit)
Benchmarking
Cutting Edge
K-Laser
Anthro Cart
UD PT Clinic
Anthro Cart
Vet Hospital
Design Requirements
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Compatible with product line
Aesthetically pleasing
Low cost
Easy to use
Safe
Product Compatibility
Need/Want
Metric
Test
Target Value
Support Weight of Laser Unit and all Weight
Accessories
Capacity (lbs)
Failure Testing: Statics
Calculation
>= 50 lbs
Accommodate each unit of product
line
Platform
dimensions (in)
Platform can
accommodate largest
unit (16.25 x 10.5 in)
>=16.25 x 10.5 in
Storage space for all accessories:
(Safety Glasses, Head Attachments,
Foot Pedal, UPS)
-
Is there storage for all
required accessories?
Y
Stores Fiber Optic Cable
-
Is there storage for
Fiber Optic Cable?
Y
No blockage of Vents
-
Are all vents open to
air flow?
Y
Height
Inches
Measurement
30 inches
Aesthetically Pleasing
Need/Want
Metric
Test
Target Value
Company Image
-
Survey
Customer Review
Geometry
-
Survey
Customer Review
Futuristic
-
Survey
Customer Review
Material Selection
-
Survey
Customer Review
Surface Finish
-
Survey
Customer Review
Casters
-
Survey
Customer Review
Low Cost
Need/Want
Metric
Test
Target Value
Manufacturing Price Per
Cart
Machining/Forming Quotes/cost
/Material Cost ($)
calculations
$500-$700
Packaging
Shipping Weight
(lbs)
Shipping Volume
(in^3)
35 to 50 lbs
Number of Tools
Required For Assembly
Packaging weight
and volume
calculations
< 3 ft^3
Number of Tools (#) How many tools are 1
required?
Easy to Use
Need/Want
Metric
Test
Target Value
Quick and Easy Removal and
Replacement of Fiber Optic
cable
# of wraps,
wrapping radius
(in), time to wrap
(s)
Time Test, Survey
5 wraps, >=3”
wrapping radius,
<30 seconds,
Customer Review
Easily roll and transition over
different floor mediums
Pulling Force (static
and dynamic) (N)
Rolling Test
Passes Test
(exceeds or
meets current
cart results)
Accessory Placement
Time to remove
and store
accessories (s)
Time Test, Survey
~ 30 seconds,
Customer Review
Cable Management: Fiber
Optic, Power, UPS, Foot Pedal
# of hanging cords,
time to wrap (s)
Time Test, Survey
0, <30 seconds,
Customer Review
Easy to Use
Need/Want
Metric
Test
Target Value
Easy to Clean
-
Can cart be cleaned
with bleach, cleaning
spray, or wipe?
Y
Easy to Assemble
Time to assemble
(mins)
-
5-15minutes
Ergonomics: Shelving
-
Survey: Are the shelves
easily accessible and/or
adjustable?
Customer
Review
Safety
Need/Want
Metric
Test
Target Value
Stability
Tipping Angle
(Degree)
Tipping Test: At what 10 degrees
angle does fully
loaded cart tip?
Avoid Sharp Edges/Corners
Number of
Sharp Edges
(#)
-
0
Locking Wheels
Number of
Locking
Wheels (#)
Count number of
locking wheels
Minimum of 2
Our Process
Mockup
Testing
Design
Details
Final
Prototype
Preliminary
Designs
Final
Design
Sponsor
Feedback
Basic Component Design
• Platform:
– Where the units sit
• Structure:
– Body of the cart
• Base:
– Bottom of the cart: Where UPS sits
• Caster Selection:
– Caster size, type, and vendor
• Accessory Design:
– Compartments for: Fiber Optic
Cable, Safety Glasses, Foot pedal,
Head attachments
Structure Design
Structure Design
Platform Design
Base Design
Caster Selection
Structure and Wheel Material
Single Wheel Caster
Twin Wheel Caster
Thermoplastic
Thermoplastic
Elastomer
Polyurethane
Polyolefin
Caster Selection
Fastening Type:
Top Plate
Threaded Stem
Grip Ring Stem
Other Considerations:
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•
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•
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Wheel Diameter: 3 or 4 inches
Locking Wheels: yes or no
Swivel: yes or no
Load Capacity: at least 50 lbs
Warranty: at least 2 years
Manufacturing Research
• Anthro:
• Materials used for shelving
• Capabilities of a wood laminate design
• Cart structure material
• Minimal welds in design
• Extreme Machining:
• Press breaking capabilities
• Tube bending practices
• Water and laser cutting capabilities
nd
2
Iteration Design
rd
3
Iteration Design
th
4
•
•
•
•
Iteration Design
Chose C-shaped structure
Added a locker
Incorporated the feel and lines of the LiteCure devices
Material: Carbon steel sheet metal
Mockup
•
•
•
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Material: Wood
Casters: 4-inch and 3-inch
Standard hardware
Mockup used for the following
purposes:
• Perform tipping and rolling test
• Evaluate casters
• Perform field test (in PT clinics)
Results:
• Increase length and decrease width of
platform
• Front door design
Customer Review
• Design: UD PT Clinic and LiteCure office used mock-up for three
days and took survey.
• Customer review measures:
Ease of Use
Aesthetics
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
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Easy accessory placement
Easy shelf accessibility
Adequate storage
Easy to transport
Adequate cord
management
Quick/Easy Wrapping and
Removal of Fiber Optic
Cable
Cord Management
•
•
•
•
Adequately display
company logo
Futuristic feel
Appropriate Geometry
Appropriate material
selection (sheet metal)
4-inch casters preferred
Customer Review
Results:
• Aesthetically appealing
• Functional
• Satisfactory cord and fiber
optic cable management
Customer Review results for the questions asked about cord and fiber
optic cable management. The mean values for the question are
represented with correlating standard deviations.
Survey Scale: 1 –Strongly Disagree , 2 –
Disagree, 3 –Neither Disagree nor Agree, 4 –
Agree, 5 –Strongly Agree
Mechanical Testing: Tipping
Worst Case
4 – inch Casters
3 – inch Casters
Current LiteCure Cart
Sideways
Tipping Angle
11 degrees
15 degrees
15 degrees
Stress Analysis
Final Design
• Material: 14 Gauge & 16 Gauge
Carbon Steel
• Casters: 4 inch diameter
• Fasteners: PEM fasteners
• Features: Back locker, front door
• Storage space: 1.9 ft^3
• Height: 30 inches
• Weight: 65 pounds
Final Design: Aesthetics
• C – Shaped cart with curves
and lines similar to LiteCure
devices
• Color scheme can be used for
both product lines
• Space for logo
• Finish: Powder coated paints
• Larger 4 inch casters
Final Design: Platform
• One size platform for multiple
devices
• Refined dimensions
• Perimeter around device
• Hole for cord management
Final Design: Structure
•
•
•
•
Wide base for stability
PEM fasteners attach all parts
Flanges on shelves add strength
Converged to aesthetic design
based on sponsor feedback
Final Design: Additional Features
Front Door:
• Easy access to goggles and head
attachments
• Goggles stored in mesh bag on front
door
• Speed controlled hinge
Back locker
• Easy access to all shelves
• UPS and miscellaneous storage space
• Rotating latch
Final Design: Additional Features
Fiber Optic Management
• Hook design
• Quickly drape cord over hook
• Secure hand piece on device
Power Cord Management
• Hole in top platform
• Hole in back locker door
• Internal guide for cords
Cost Analysis
Quote of 1 Cart (machine shop)
• $1460
• Does not include: PEM Fasteners, McMaster Hardware, Casters, Front
Handle, and Fiber Optic Cable Management Hook.
Quote for 1000 number of units (machine shop)
• $200 - $225 a unit
Hardware Cost: About $31 a unit
PEM Fastener Cost: About $30 a unit
Casters Cost: About $34 a unit
User Instructions
Assembly
• PEM fasteners press fit in to side
panels
• Detailed instructions for assembly
• Only 1 tool needed: Wrench
Packaging
• Cart can be broken down in to
smaller, flat parts
• Box dimensions: 27.5 in x 27.75 in
x 6 in
Design Validation
Path Forward
• Give LiteCure drawing package and assembly instructions.
• LiteCure can take design to manufacturing company for start of mass production.
• Small changes may need to be made to the design in order to be manufactured by
a specific company.
• More testing to sheet metal prototype: accelerated wear and overload testing